St. John the Baptist Parish

Though nestled within French Louisiana, St. John stands at the center of Cote des Allemands, or the “German Coast.” Beginning in the 1720s, German immigrants flocked here during the French colonial era. Africans, Cajun and Creole French immigrants soon followed. With its French and German heritage, it’s no surprise that folks here know how to make a good sausage. Feted each October at the Andouille Festival in LaPlace, the parish produces its share of the iconic and delicious Louisiana smoked sausage that helps give gumbo, jambalaya and red beans and rice their tempting flavors. St. John the Baptist is also home to a fine array of plantation houses, including the stately Evergreen Plantation and the glamorous San Francisco Plantation. The parish has an intriguing place as the location of the largest slave revolt in U.S. history. In 1811, hundreds of slaves embarked on an ill-fated march downriver toward New Orleans.